Reform abortion laws to save women’s lives, group urges FG

The Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre has called for urgent reform of Nigeria’s abortion laws, saying criminalisation contributes to unsafe abortion and preventable maternal deaths.

WARDC made the call on Monday in a statement released to commemorate the 2026 International Safe Abortion Day, with the theme, “Solidarity in Action: Advance Reproductive Justice and Urgently Strengthen Health Systems for Comprehensive Abortion Care.”

The organisation said Nigeria could not effectively reduce maternal mortality while unsafe abortion remained a preventable cause of death and serious injury among women and girls.

According to WARDC, Nigeria continues to bear one of the world’s highest maternal mortality burdens, with an estimated 1,000 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023.

It noted that unsafe abortion was recognised as one of the causes of maternal deaths in the country.

WARDC also cited a nationally representative study which estimated that 1.25 million abortions occurred in Nigeria in 2012, with about 212,000 women treated for complications arising from unsafe abortion. The organisation added that an estimated 285,000 women experienced serious complications without receiving the required treatment.

WARDC’s Executive Chairperson, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, an Associate Professor of Public Law, said Nigeria needed to move from an approach centred primarily on criminalisation to a clear, rights-based and medically regulated framework for abortion care.

“A widely cited national estimate puts deaths from unsafe abortion at about 6,000 women annually, although WARDC notes that this is an estimate and abortion-related deaths may be underreported or misclassified”, the statement partly read.

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The organisation expressed particular concern about adolescents, citing UNICEF data which puts Nigeria’s adolescent birth rate at 75 births per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19.

It said adolescent pregnancy was significantly higher in rural communities, adding that young girls who became pregnant following rape or incest required protection, healthcare and dignity rather than additional trauma, stigma and the risk of unsafe abortion.

The organisation said such reforms should clearly define when abortion was lawful, protect confidentiality and informed consent, regulate qualified providers and facilities, strengthen referral systems and ensure access to quality post-abortion care. It also called for measures to protect women and girls from unsafe practices, coercion and discrimination.

WARDC, therefore, urged the Federal Government, National Assembly, state governments and other stakeholders to prioritise legal and policy reforms, health-system investment and accurate public information on abortion and reproductive health.

The organisation added, “No woman should lose her life because she could not access safe healthcare. No child should be pushed deeper into trauma because of a pregnancy resulting from rape.

“Nigeria cannot reduce maternal mortality while ignoring unsafe abortion. It is time to move from criminalisation to safe, regulated and rights-based abortion care.”